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Introduction To Termites In Upper Marlboro, MD
Once an important port for shipping tobacco along the Patuxent River, the Town of Upper Marlboro, Maryland can trace its roots back to 1695. In fact, it is one of only a few Southern Maryland towns that date to colonial times. Currently, Upper Marlboro offers comfortable, small-town living and serves as the County Seat of Prince George’s County. There is another thing that dates back to colonial times, or further, that lives here in Upper Marlboro – termites! These pests have been a threat to Upper Marlboro homes and businesses since the first settlers arrived.
Subterranean termites live in huge colonies deep underground and form mud tubes along the ground and up the side of your foundation to access the wood deep inside your wall voids to use as a food source. Termites cause billions of dollars’ worth of damage across the country each year, mostly because home and business owners typically don’t realize termites have invaded until the damage becomes severe enough to be noticeable – and very expensive to repair. However, you do not have to allow termites to invade your home. They can be stopped. American Pest offers Upper Marlboro home and business owners’ effective termite monitoring and control solutions. American Pest has been providing quality pest control services to Maryland residents since 1925, and we can put that experience to work for you in your fight against harmful and damaging pests, such as termites. For more information about our effective, eco-friendly termite monitoring and control solutions for Upper Marlboro homes and businesses, give us a call today!
Breakdown Of The Termite Colony
Termites really are amazing creatures that are quite beneficial out in nature. Each termite is born to do a specific job - A job that they dedicate their entire lives to and one they do very meticulously. Each termite is either born to reproduce, be a worker, or a soldier. They are physically equipped at birth to do the job they were meant to do.
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Alates – or the reproductive caste of termite is a group of termites that are born to be royalty. These are the kings and queens that are born when an existing colony is nearing or has reached maturity. Once they are ready, the alates will leave the colony to find a mate and begin a new colony nearby. This caste can often be mistaken for flying ants when they swarm in the spring, typically after a rainstorm. However, alates will drop their wings before mating and entering their new nest to begin the job of parenting a new colony. Once inside the new nest, the king and queen will remain there for their entire life reproducing. These reproductives resemble other termites, except the queen has a large and distended abdomen. Together they can produce up to 2,000 eggs a day and can live up to 50 years!
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Soldiers – this termite caste has the job of protecting the colony. They make up the smallest portion of a colony and can typically be found near the entrances and exits of the nest. Their job is to defend against intruders, and they typically only live up to two years. They are equipped with oversized mandibles that they use to defend the colony and have a pore on their head that excretes a sticky, white material that they use to trap intruders. Soldiers cannot feed themselves because of the size of their mandibles, so they rely on the workers to feed them.
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Workers – this caste is by far the most numerous in a colony. These guys do all the work of the colony and will gather food to feed the soldiers, queen, king, and immature members of the colony. The help care for the young, they are responsible for building and repairing the nest, and they get rid of termites when they die. This caste rarely, if ever, leaves the nest. Workers have soft bodies, they are white, and they do not have eyes. They typically only live for a year or two.
Signs of Termites in Upper Marlboro
Termite infestations are typically very hard to detect which is why they can often inflict some pretty significant damage before they are discovered. However, they do leave some subtle signs of their presence – if you are careful and observant. These early signs include:
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Seeing a swarm of winged termites around your home, typically on a damp, spring day.
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Finding shed wings on window sills, decks, or in doorways.
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Discovering mud tubes on the interior or exterior of your foundation.
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Finding frass – termite droppings – in piles inside or outside of your home.
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Sagging floors.
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Hollow wood or wood that appears blistered or bubbled.
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Rustling or chewing sounds coming from wood beams or from behind walls.
If you discover any of these signs in or near your home, you should immediately contact the termite monitoring and control specialists here at American Pest for an inspection and possible treatment.
Upper Marlboro Termite Control Services
Termites are elusive and secretive little pests that are responsible for billions of dollars worth of damage to homes and businesses across the country each year. Some of that damage occurs right here in Upper Marlboro. Since they spend almost their entire life underground or inside wood that they are devouring, property owners typically have no idea that they have invaded until damages are significant. The only way to effectively defend against termites is with a professional termite monitoring system like the Sentricon® System with Always Active™. The termite experts here at American Pest are authorized operators of this discreet baiting system that will not only eliminate current termite colonies, but will remain in place to defend against future foraging termites. The Sentricon® system works by offering termites a small amount of irresistible bait that they gladly eat and take back to the colony to share. This bait is designed to interrupt the termite’s ability to absorb nutrition and reproduce – and before long, the colony is eliminated. Sentricon® with Always Active™ is non-invasive, requiring no drilling or trenching, and is eco-friendly. Eliminating termites truly is as simple and eco-friendly as that! Make sure that termites are not secretly undermining the structural integrity and the value of your Upper Marlboro home with Sentricon® with Always Active™ and American Pest.
Upper Marlboro Pest Control Services
Some of the industry-leading pest protection services offered to Upper Marlboro home and business owners by American Pest include:
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Rodent Control
To learn more about these effective, affordable pest prevention solutions or to schedule your free pest inspection for your Upper Marlboro home or business, don't hesitate to contact us today!
